Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Richland foursome make college plans

Alexis Dona, Katie Gehlmann and Sarah Pfeil formed a key trio for Richland's highly successful girls basketball program the past four years. Next year, all three will play college basketball in different locations.

"Playing college ball together wasn't something we really talked about," Gehlmann said. "We all definitely wanted to play in college. Sarah and I played AAU together for PA Blue Thunder, but we won't be playing together in college."

Dona is headed to Mount Aloysius. Gehlmann will play at Waynesburg University. Pfeil will join the team at Pitt-Greensburg.

The trio announced their college intentions Wednesday along with track and field standout Derek Civis, who will high jump for St. Francis.


Four student-athletes from Richland High School announced college intentions on Wednesday. They are Alexis Dona (Mount Aloysius), Sarah Pfeil (Pitt-Greensburg), Katie Gehlmann (Waynesburg) and Derek Civis (St. Francis).

Johnstown looks to prolong run

Greater Johnstown's Jeremy Updyke singles to center field during the Trojans' 12-1 win over Obama Academy in Monday's first-round playoff game. Photo submitted by Jerry Updyke




Some scoffed when Greater Johnstown entered the District 6 Class AAA playoffs with a 6-12 record, but the Trojans didn't let that affect them during Monday's quarterfinal game against Obama Academy of District 8.

Greater Johnstown came away with a 12-2 victory to prolong the coaching career of Dee Dee Osborne, who plans to retire after 25 years with the team.

Grant Noon, a promising junior prospect, struck out 13 and pitched a five-hitter. Noon and Jeremy Updyke had three hits and three RBI apiece.

“The kids really played hard. Everybody contributed and we upset the No. 3 seed,” Johnstown coach Dee Dee Osborne told The Tribune-Democrat. “That tells you that we do belong here. It was a team effort, one of the best games I’ve seen these kids play. They were playing defense. They were hitting. All in all, I’m very happy.”

The Trojans play at second-seeded Huntingdon today.

Strasiser's monster season

Tony Strasiser was also a football standout for North Star.
North Star senior Tony Strasiser is putting together the type of baseball season that doesn't seem possible, even for diehard video gamers.

Heading into Wednesday's District 5 Class A quarterfinal against Conemaugh Township, Strasiser was batting .632 with a .720 on-base percentage. He had 36 hits and the same number of RBI, a ridiculous stat no matter the level of play. Strasiser had scored 40 runs, hit five home runs, four triples and seven doubles.

Walks and singles generally turn into doubles as Strasiser has 25 stolen bases.

The scary thing is Strasiser has been nearly effective on the mound, which has given undefeated North Star a dynamic 1-2-3 pitching punch with Brantley Rice and Shane Supanick, who picked up an impressive 2-0 win over Conemaugh Township as North Star (19-0) advanced to the D5 semifinals where they play McConnellsburg.

Strasiser is 5-0 in five pitching appearances with 40 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched. He's allowed six hits with a 1.05 ERA.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

District 5 baseball pairings

Class AA
Semifinals
Today
Both games at 4:30 p.m.
No. 4 Chestnut Ridge at No. 1 Everett
No. 3 Northern Bedford at No. 2 Bedford
Championship
May 28
Site to be determined
Semifinals winners, 4:30 p.m.


Class A
Quarterfinals
Wednesday
All games at 4:30 p.m.
No. 8 Conemaugh Township at No. 1 North Star
No. 5 Shade at No. 4 Southern Fulton
No. 6 HOPE for Hyndman at No. 3 McConnellsburg
No. 7 Berlin at No. 2 Meyersdale
Semifinals
Friday
Both games at 4:30 p.m.
Conemaugh Township-North Star winner vs. Shade-Southern Fulton winner
HOPE for Hyndman-McConnellsburg winner vs. Berlin-Meyersdale winner
Championship
May 30
Site to be determined (possibly Somerset)
Semifinals winners, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

District 5 softball playoffs

Class AA
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
No. 4 Bedford at No. 1 Chestnut Ridge, 4:30 p.m.
No. 3 Windber at No. 2 Everett, 4:30 p.m.
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
Site to be determined
Semifinal winners, 4:30 p.m.

Class A
First round
Wednesday, May 22
All games at 4:30 p.m.
No. 8 Meyersdale at No. 1 Shade
No. 5 HOPE for Hyndman at No. 4 Tussey Mountain
No. 7 Turkeyfoot at No. 2 Conemaugh Township
No. 6 Rockwood at No. 3 Fannett-Metal
Semifinals
Tuesday, May 28
Sites to be determined
Meyersdale-Shade winner vs. HOPE for Hyndman-Tussey Mountain winner, 4:30 p.m.
Turkeyfoot-Conemaugh Township winner vs. Rockwood-Fannett Metal winner, 4:30p.m.
Championship
Thursday, May 30
Semifinals winners, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Updated District 6 softball playoffs

Class AAA
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
No. 4 Hollidaysburg at No. 1 Greater Johnstown, 4 p.m.
No. 3 Bellefonte at No. 2 Somerset, 4 p.m.
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
at Penn State
Semifinal winner, TBD

Class AA
First round
Thursday, May 16
Philipsburg-Osceola 8, Bishop McCort 0
Mt. Union 4, Marion Center 3
Penns Valley 8, Central 2
Bellwood-Antis 3, Westmont Hilltop 1
Huntingdon 11, Blairsville 4
Richland 5, Cambria Heights 1
Ligonier Valley 7, Bald Eagle Area 5
Juniata 8, Penn Cambria  3
Quarterfinals
Monday, May 20
All games at 4 p.m.
Mount Union at Philipsburg-Osceola
Penns Valley at Bellwood-Antis
Huntingdon at Richland
Juniata at Ligonier Valley
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
Quarterfinals winners
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
at Penn State
Semifinal winners, TBD

Class A
Quarterfinals
Monday, May 20
No. 8 Williamsburg at No. 1 Claysburg-Kimmel, 4 p.m.
No. 5 Bishop Carroll at No. 4 Ferndale, 4 p.m.
No. 6 Conemaugh Valley at No. 3 Portage, 4 p.m.
No. 7 West Branch at No. 2 Southern Huntingdon, 4 p.m.
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
Williamsburg-Claysburg Kimmel winner vs. Bishop Carroll-Ferndale winner
Conemaugh Valley-Portage winner vs. West Branch-Southern Huntingdon winner
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
at Penn State
Semifinal winners, TBD

Updated District 6 baseball brackets

Class AAAA
Thursday, May 23
No. 4 Altoona at No. 1 State College
No. 3 Central Mountain at No. 2 Mifflin County
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
at Blair County Ballpark
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.

Class AAA
First round
Monday, May 20
Greater Johnstown 12, Obama Academy 2
Huntingdon 5, Bellefonte 4
Semifinals
Huntingdon at No. 1 Somerset, 4 p.m.
Greater Johnstown at No. 2 Hollidaysburg, 4 p.m.
Championship
Thursday, May 30
at Blair County Ballpark
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.

Class AA
First round
Cambria Heights 6, Marion Center 5
Bellwood-Antis 8, Tyrone 0
Central 10, Southern Huntingdon 0
Ligonier Valley 4, Northern Cambria 2
Mount Union 6, Penns Valley 5
Quarterfinals
Monday, May 20
All games at 4 p.m.
Blairsville 12, Cambria Heights 11
Central 11, Bellwood-Antis 2
Ligonier Valley 5, Richland 3
Mount Union 3, Bald Eagle 0
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
Central at Blairsville, 4 p.m.
Mount Union at Ligonier Valley, 4 p.m.
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
at Blair County Ballpark
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Class A
First round
Thursday, May 16
Saltsburg 6, Bishop Carroll 5
Quarterfinals
Monday, May 20
Bishop McCort 10, Slatsburg 1
Portage 4, Homer-Center 3
Conemaugh Valley 3, Juniata Valley 0
Claysburg-Kimmel 1, Bishop Guilfoyle 0
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
Portage at Bishop McCort, 4 p.m.
Conemaugh Valley at Claysburg Kimmel, 4 p.m.
Championship
Thursday, May 30
at Blair County Ballpark
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m. 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Top prep prospect Andrew Wiggins signs with Kansas


HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) – Top prep basketball prospect Andrew Wiggins told a small gathering of family and friends at his high school gym Tuesday that he will play at Kansas.
Then the Huntington Prep star signed his letter-of-intent and officially became a Jayhawk. No big speech. No bands, live TV coverage or props.
Just the way Wiggins wanted it.
And just like that, Lawrence, Kan., became more of a focal point for the upcoming college basketball season.
“I’m looking forward to getting there and just doing my thing,” Wiggins said.
The 6-foot-8 Toronto native chose Kansas over Kentucky, North Carolina and Florida State. Wiggins said there wasn’t one particular selling point, taking into account each school’s coaching staff, players and program.
“I just followed my heart,” he said.
He’ll join one of the top recruiting classes in the country.
“I really thought it was one of those long shots, at least when we first got involved,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “The more we hung around, the more we felt he liked us. There was (a) little bit of a connection.”
Despite the loss of Ben McLemore to the NBA draft, four of Kansas’ five recruits are considered to be in the top 50 nationally, including guards Conner Frankamp and Wayne Selden, forward Brannen Greene and center Joel Embiid.
Wiggins’ parents both attended Florida State, and the Seminoles had signed his Huntington Prep teammate and fellow Toronto native, Xavier Rathan-Mayes.
Wiggins’ father is former NBA first-round pick Mitchell Wiggins. His mother, Marita Payne-Wiggins, was a Canadian Olympic sprinter and silver medalist. Older brother Nick plays guard at Wichita State and another brother, Mitchell Jr., plays at NAIA school Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla.
“Florida State was great for mom, it was great for dad,” Mitchell Wiggins said. But he recalled telling his son, “it’s your time. It’s not 20-30 years ago. And Florida State (would have been) a great choice.”
But the father said Kansas will “be a great fit. Hopefully Andrew stays humble, stays hungry. We’ll see how it plays out.”
Tuesday’s brief ceremony ended the frenzied pursuit of Wiggins, who averaged 23.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game this season.
Rather than turn his announcement into a spectacle, Wiggins wanted a private signing ceremony where he attends classes at St. Joseph’s Central Catholic High School in Huntington.
“I didn’t really want to open it up to the public,” he said. “I knew it would be jam packed in here. I wanted people who appreciated me and people I appreciate to be here watching me. I wanted a lot of people I knew.”
Initially rated as a 2014 prospect, Wiggins shot to the top of recruiting charts when he decided last October to reclassify into his original high school class of 2013. The four major recruiting services rated Wiggins as the No. 1 overall recruit.
Interest grew in recent weeks. As one fan put told Wiggins in a Twitter post, “You’re driving 4 schools and 4 fan bases absolutely insane.”
Wiggins had kept quiet on his intentions. He had yet to even make a verbal commitment and delayed his signing until almost the very end – Wednesday is the deadline for recruits to sign with NCAA Division I schools.
“This is the way I like it to be done – on my own time,” he said. “I’ve got a weight lifted off my shoulders. I can relax now.”
Self said Wiggins “did exactly what we said he was going to do. He told us he was going to take his time. He was going to process everything. So him taking his time wasn’t a shock. ... I thought it was a classy, cool way to do it, when kids are seeking more attention these days.”
Wiggins’ game did the talking. He has the ability to make shots from all angles and distances, blow past defenders to the basket and reach the rim at eye level. Wiggins was the recipient of this year’s Gatorade Boys National Basketball Player of the Year and Naismith Foundation national awards. He has been called the best prep prospect since LeBron James.
“I’m hearing the LeBron comparison and I saw LeBron play some high school, and I’m not sure that’s a fair comparison to anyone,” Self said. “But from a pure athletic ability, he (Wiggins) is one of the most pure athletes the college game has had for a while.”
Wiggins participated in several postseason all-star games, most recently playing for the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit April 20 in Portland, Ore.
Wiggins cited fatigue from the Oregon trip for canceling scheduled visits from Self, North Carolina coach Roy Williams and Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton. Wiggins instead talked to them by phone. Kentucky coach John Calipari had visited Wiggins in Huntington on March 28.
“When he announced it, it wasn’t the one I thought he would pick,” said Wiggins’ high school coach, Rob Fulford, who felt the player would choose Florida State. “But I wasn’t surprised. All four have advantages over the others in some way.”
Wiggins said he planned to relax at home and train with his brothers and some friends during the next few months. Self said he’s not sure when Wiggins will arrive in Lawrence because of the possibility of Wiggins’ involvement in some Canadian national teams over the summer.

Monday, May 13, 2013

District 6 softball pairings

Class AAA
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
No. 4 Hollidaysburg at No. 1 Greater Johnstown, 4 p.m.
No. 3 Bellefonte at No. 2 Somerset, 4 p.m.
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
at Penn State
Semifinal winner, TBD

Class AA
First round
Thursday, May 16
No. 16 Bishop McCort at No. 1 Philipsburg-Osceola, 4 p.m.
No. 9 Mt. Union at No. 8 Marion Center, 8 p.m.
No. 13 Penns Valley at No. 4 Central, 4 p.m.
No. 12 Westmont Hilltop at No. 5 Bellwood-Antis, 4 p.m.
No. 14 Huntingdon at No. 3 Blairsville, 4 p.m.
No. 11 Cambria Heights at No. 6 Richland, 4 p.m.
No. 10 Ligonier Valley at No. 7 Bald Eagle Area, 4 p.m.
No. 15 Juniata at No. 2 Penn Cambria, 4 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Monday, May 20
Philipsburg Osceola-Bishop McCort winner vs. Marion Center-Mount Union winner
Central-Penns Valley winner vs. Bellwood Antis-Westmont Hilltop winner
Blairsville-Huntingdon winner vs. Richland-Cambria Heights winner
Bald Eagle Area-Ligonier Valley winner vs. Penn Cambria-Juniata winner
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
Semifinals winners
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
at Penn State
Semifinal winners, TBD

Class A
Quarterfinals
Monday, May 20
No. 8 Williamsburg at No. 1 Claysburg-Kimmel, 4 p.m.
No. 5 Bishop Carroll at No. 4 Ferndale, 4 p.m.
No. 6 Conemaugh Valley at No. 6 Southern Huntingdon, 4 p.m.
No. 7 West Branch at No. 2 Portage, 4 p.m.
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
Williamsburg-Claysburg Kimmel winner vs. Bishop Carroll-Ferndale winner
Conemaugh Valley-Southern Huntingdon winner vs. West Branch-Portage winner
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
at Penn State
Semifinal winners, TBD

District 6 baseball pairings

Class AAAA
Thursday, May 23
No. 4 Altoona at No. 1 State College
No. 3 Central Mountain at No. 2 Mifflin County
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
at Blair County Ballpark
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.

Class AAA
First round
Monday, May 20
No. 6 Greater Johnstown at No. 3 Obama Academy, 4 p.m.
No. 5 Huntingdon at No. 4 Bellefonte, 4 p.m.
Semifinals
Huntingdon-Bellefonte winner at No. 1 Somerset, 4 p.m.
Greater Johnstown-Obama Academy winner at No. 2 Hollidaysburg, 4 p.m.
Championship
Thursday, May 30
at Blair County Ballpark
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.

Class AA
First round
Thursday, May 16
No. 9 Marion Center at No. 8 Cambria Heights, 4 p.m.
No. 12 Tyrone at No. 5 Bellwood-Antis, 4 p.m.
No. 13 Southern Huntingdon at No. 4 Central, 4 p.m.
No. 11 Northern Cambria at No. 6 Ligonier Valley, 4 p.m.
No. 7 Mt. Union at No. 10 Penns Valley, 4 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Monday, May 20
Marion Center-Cambria Heights winner at No. 1 Blairsville, 4 p.m.
Tyrone-BA winner vs. Southern Huntingdon-Central winner, 4 p.m.
Ligonier-Northern Cambria winner at No. 3 Richland, 4 p.m.
Mt. Union-Penns Valley winner at No. 2 Bald Eagle, 4 p.m.
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
TBD, 4 p.m.
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
at Blair County Ballpark
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Class A
First round
Thursday, May 16
No. 9 Bishop Carroll at No. 8 Saltsburg, 4 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Monday, May 20
Bishop Carroll-Saltsburg winner at No. 1 Bishop McCort, 4 p.m.
No. 5 Portage at No. 4 Homer-Center, 4 p.m.
No. 6 Juniata Valley at No. 3 Conemaugh Valley, 4 p.m.
No. 7 Bishop Guilfoyle at No. 2 Claysburg-Kimmel, 4 p.m.
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
Carroll-Saltsburg-McCort winner vs. Homer Center-Portage winner, 4 p.m.
Juniata Valley-Conemaugh Valley winner vs. Bishop Guilfoyle-Claysburg Kimmel winner, 4 p.m.
Championship
Thursday, May 30
at Blair County Ballpark
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Tennis, anyone?

District championships are nothing new for the boys' tennis team at Westmont Hilltop.

The Hilltoppers recently won their third consecutive District 6 Class AA championship with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Juniata. For more on Westmont's three-peat, click here.


The Westmont Hilltop boys' tennis team won the District 6 Class AA championship on Thursday.

Westmont advances to the PIAA tournament, where the Hilltoppers play Eastern Lebanon County, the third-place team from District 3, on Tuesday at Leopold Recreation Center starting at 1:30 p.m.

They'll be joined in the bracket by a newcomer - Windber.

After seven second-place finishes, the Ramblers won the school's first District 5 tennis championship with a 5-0 victory over Bedford. For more on Windber's run, click here.

Windber plays perennial power Sewickley Academy on Tuesday at North Allegheny High School at 2:30 p.m. Sewickley Academy has won 10 consecutive WPIAL titles.

First-round winners advance to the PIAA quarterfinals Friday at Hershey Racquet Club.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Another look: Thomas Yewcic

Before Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson made the two-sport star relevant during a period of the 1980s and 90s, Cambria County had one of its own.

Conemaugh native Thomas Yewcic dominated the local sports scene before making a major impact at Michigan State in football and baseball.

Thomas Yewcic played football and baseball at Michigan State.
The namesake of the football stadium at Conemaugh Valley, Yewcic was named Most Outstanding Player of the 1954 College World Series, and the Spartans didn't even make the championship game. He went on to sign with the Detroit Tigers and made his major league debut on Jun 27, 1957.

His stay in the big leagues lasted all of one game. A catcher, Yewcic had one career at-bat and abandoned the sport in 1959.

Lucky for him, he was pretty good at football.

A 27th-round selection of the Boston Patriots in 1954, Yewcic eventually joined the team in 1961 and he struck around for six seasons. Yewcic was used as a punter, quarterback, flanker and running back.

He passed for 12 touchdowns and 1,374 yards and rushed for 424 yards and four touchdowns, but made his most significant impact as a punter and he made the Patriots' All-1960s team.

Yewcic also holds a distinction with all-time great Tom Brady. They are the only players in Patriots history to have thrown a touchdown pass, rushed for a touchdown, caught a touchdown and punted.

TVC returns

The Varsity Club has returned from a brief hiatus (or a beach vacation) and will begin posting again later today.